A Future, Not the Future
by x.MaybeForever
Summary: Oliver is having a bad week and is taking it out of his friends and family. Can a ghost in Olivers dream make him changed his actions. An...interesting short story.


**A/N: Okay this story is a little different. But I know it will touch the hearts of some. There has been a lot going on around where I live and it's getting scary. I hope you enjoy this story.**

"Lilly, I saw you staring at that guy!" I shouted at my girlfriend.

"Oliver, I was checking out his Harvard Jacket, not him!" Lilly shouted back.

"That's the third guy you have looked at on our walk."

"Oliver, I have not even glimpsed at another guy! Why are you acting so jealous? This is the third day in a row you have acted this way! I thought you trusted me." I did trust Lilly. I had no idea why I was blowing up at her and I did feel bad, I just couldn't calm myself down.

"Ugh, I just don't know!" I yelled in frustration.

"Well when you do know, come find me." Lilly ripped her hand out of mine and walked away. I wanted so badly to call her back, to say I was sorry, but nothing came out of my mouth. I was so frustrated. So much has happened in the past week. I was beginning to think I couldn't handle it all.

I took the long route back to my house. By the time I reached my driveway, it was down pouring and I was soaking wet. I trudged my way to my front door then realized I forgot my key on my dresser. My day just kept getting better and better. I sighed and made my way to the side of my house where I could easily climb up to my open bedroom window. When I was safely inside my house, I roughly slammed my window shut I was surprised it didn't shatter. I ran my fingers through my dripping wet hair and screamed in frustration. I didn't care if my parents were home, I had to let out my anger.

I decided to take a hot shower and calm myself down. I took a long, hot shower to relax myself. After my soothing shower, I threw on some sweat pants and laid on my bed. I closed my eyes and before I knew it, I fell into a dark nightmare.

(nightmare)

I saw myself standing in a black room. There was nothing else around, it was all black. There was no sound. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I walked around in circles searching for something. What I was searching for, I had no idea. I saw myself sit down cross-legged and sigh. I just sat there and waited.

After a moment, there was a blinding light. I closed my eyes in pain. When the light dimed, I opened my eyes. There before me was a dark figure. The figure was dressed in a black robe. Its face was covered in black, to which you could not see its eyes, nose, or mouth.

The figure slowly and silently approached me. I stood up and stared at the figure.

"What…I mean, who are you?" I asked.

"I am the ghost of your future." The ghost said in a deep male voice.

"Like the ghost of Christmas future that's in that Christmas movie?" I asked.

"No! Nothing like that you fool!" The ghost shouted. "I am the ghost of _your_ future, and I am here to show you what will happen to you if you continue to put all your anger out on Lilly, your parents, and your friends."

"Ugh, I have never blown up at Lilly or anyone else like that. I just need to spend some time to myself and everything will blow over. You don't need to show me anything!"

"Hear me!" The ghost shouted. I flinched in response. "I am going to show you what will happen to you and you are going to watch!"

"Man you're a strict ghost."

"Silence! Now touch your hand in mine, and we'll be off."

I sighed and placed my hand in the ghosts. There was a flash of bright light. I closed my eyes and when I reopened them, we were standing on the roof of my house.

"Why are we on my roof?" I asked.

"Look over there." The ghost ordered. I looked to my right. There I was. I was wearing baggy clothes and my hair was a saggy mess. I looked horrible.

"Why do I look like I live on the streets?" I asked and gave myself a closer look.

"You couldn't handle it all so you gave up. Lilly eventually gave up on you and dumped you. Your parents tried getting you help but you wouldn't listen so they gave up on you. And your friends stopped talking to you. You have nothing."

"Lilly, the girl I love broke up with me? And my parents, of all people just gave up on me?"

"Yes, it was all because you wouldn't help yourself. Now, follow me." Before I could respond there was a flash of light. This time when I opened my eyes I was inside my house and on the couch before me were my parents. They looked happy without me in their lives. My dad was chuckling at some newspaper article and my mom was knitting what looked like a dog sweater. But we didn't have a dog, at least not that I knew of.

"Without you in their lives, they can do whatever they want. Of course they would have never realized that unless you had given up."

"No, my parents love me, and I love them. We are a happy family."

"You are now, but if you don't change, this is your future."

"Mom, dad, can you hear me?" I choked out. "Mom, dad?" I could feel my throat tightening and I did my hardest to hold back my tears.

"They cannot see nor hear you. They are nothing but shadows."

"Stop, this is enough! I want to go back! Take me back!" I screamed.

"There is one more thing you have to see."

"No, No more!"

"One more! Now follow me!" I placed my hand in the ghosts and closed my eyes. Ready for what was to happen next. A moment later I opened my eyes. We were now standing on a grassy hill. I waited for something terrible to appear but there was nothing.

"Why am I here for?" I asked.

"Look over there." The ghost pointed to the right. There to my right was Lilly walking up the hill, but she wasn't alone. There was a tall, good looking male with his arm wrapped around Lilly's shoulder. The male was about six feet and had light blond hair and bright blue eyes.

"Who is that with my girlfriend!" I shouted.

"That is her new boyfriend, Josh. And you are not her boyfriend anymore."

"Her what?"

"You heard me!" I stared at Lilly and the guy. She looked happy but I could tell that there was something deep down that was bothering her. Only I was able to read Lilly by just taking one look at her and she was the only girl who could read me. The guy walked Lilly underneath a small tree and the two sat down. The guy pulled Lilly as close to him as possible. I felt jealous and angry. That was my girlfriend.

"How did this happen?"

"When Lilly broke up with you she ran off searching for something to give her happiness. That's when she ran into Josh. The two connected."

"No, this cannot be. Lilly!" I shouted. Lilly didn't even look at me. I didn't care anymore, I let my tears flow. "Lilly!" I tried again.

"She is nothing but a shadow of those yet to come."

"No, this can't be my future. This can't be Lilly's future. This can't be my parent's future. I always thought of Lilly in my future. Now that guy is in Lilly's future. And I've always thought my family would always be close." I ran towards Lilly as fast as I could. I tried putting my hand on her shoulder but it just passed right threw her. "Lilly please!" The guy grabbed Lilly's chin and brought his lips to hers. So many emotions ran threw me I didn't know what to do. I wanted to scream, cry, and shout, all at the same time.

"No, this can't be my future! Is there any way I can change my future. Please" I pleaded Looking at Lilly. Before I knew it, in a blink of an eye, everything went black.

"Oliver Oken, you just saw _a_ future, not _the_ future." The ghost put his hand on my shoulder. "You can change your future."

"Take me home." I whispered.

I took one last look at the ghost before I closed my eyes to stop the tears from flowing down my face. I took one deep breath and opened my eyes to be greeted by a pair of my shoes. I was startled and I shot up off the ground. I was breathing so heavily, it sounded like I just finished running an eight hundred meter race at fast speed. I took some deep breaths and looked around. I was safely back in my bedroom. I looked at my digital clock on my bedside table which was flashing three o'clock in the morning.

I whipped away the drops of sweat dripping down my forehead. "It's all true, it all happened." I said. "I have to do something to change my future. To keep my family together, to keep my friends, to keep the girl I love with all my heart from stepping out of my life."

I opened my bedroom door and ran down the hallway and stopped at the last door on the right; my parents room. "mom, dad?" I opened the door to their room. "Mom, dad?" I tried again. My mom stirred in bed before sitting up and turning on the bedside lap.

"Oliver?" She asked rubbing her tired eyes. My dad tossed and turned before waking up and sitting up.

"Oliver, what are you doing up at…" he looked at the digital clock on his nightstand. "three in the morning!"

"Mom, dad, I am so sorry for the way I have acted towards you the last week. I was stressed and upset so I took my anger out on you. I am going to take responsibility for my actions and I'm going to see a counsellor tomorrow at school."

"We've all been a little depressed with the death of my brother but it's what happens in life. You just have to get through it without ever forgetting that person." My mom said. She and my dad pulled me into a tight hug.

"I know mom, thank you." I whispered. "Now I have to go talk to Lilly and explain."

"At three o'clock in the morning!" My dad exclaimed. "Can't you wait till sun rise?"

"I have to do it now." Before I could let any of my parents respond, I rushed out their bedroom door and to my room. I slipped on a white wife beater, my red sweater and a pair of flip flops. I ran down my stairs and across the street to my girlfriends house. I walked to the side of the house where a large tree stood. I easily climbed the tree like I have been doing for years. I knocked on Lilly's window with the special knock we created when we were little. After two knocks she opened the window.

"Oliver, what the heck are you doing here?" Lilly asked.

"Lilly, I need to talk to you like right now. This can't wait till tomorrow. Well I guess this can't wait until sunrise." I could see the tiniest of smiles spear on Lilly's face. She stepped out of the way letting me in her room. As I climbed through her window, Lilly flopped onto her bed and draped her bed covers overtop of her. "Please Lilly, I have to talk to you." I pleaded.

"You have exactly three minutes to explain before I fall asleep on you." Lilly yawned.

"Okay, I want to explain why…"

"You were a complete jerk towards me the past week." Lilly interrupted pulling the covers halfway down her body.

"Yeah." I sat down on next to Lilly on her bed and carefully intertwined our fingers. "I am extremely sorry." I started "I was stressed, angry, frustrated and upset. My uncle got murdered last week, as you know; because of all the fights that have been happening and I have just been so stressed lately I didn't think I could handle it all. I had absolutely no right to take all my anger out on you and for that, I am truly sorry. I am going to go to see a counsellor at school today and get everything straightened out."

"I accept your apology." Lilly said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you are taking full responsibility over you actions and doing what's right. I can't stay mad at you for that. You lost someone who was important to you and you just didn't want to see it happen again." I nodded in response. "Besides I can't stay mad at someone I love." Lilly did the one thing that I love so much; she smiled and I smiled back. I pulled Lilly to me in a tight embrace.

"I love you." I whispered.

"I love you too." Lilly whispered. We pulled apart and Lilly yawned. "I should get going. I'm sorry I came over so early in the morning but I had to talk to you."

"It's okay, I'm glad you came."

I kissed Lilly's forehead before tucking her in bed and walking to her window. "Goodnight Lils, Love you"

"Goodnight Ollie." She whispered before snuggling deeper into her cozy bed. I smiled big before climbing out of her window and down the tree.

I hopped into bed and for the first time in a week, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

**A/N: This story is really special to me and I know it is for others too. There has been a lot of gang fights the past month around where I live and there are people going crazy. I almost got caught in the middle of a gang fight when I was walking home from track. One of my friends is in the hospital and is in a coma at the moment. Please keep her in your prayers and stay safe.**

**Reviews?**

**CaliforniaGurl.x**


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